Animation device



Oct. 19, 1965 R. D. ALLEMAN ANIMATION DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 5, 1962 INVENTOR @oNALn D. ALLEMAN ATTOFZNEY Oct. 19, 1965 R; D. ALLEMAN 3,212,205

ANIMATION DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 5, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RONALD D. ALLEMAM MG/WW ATT EMB/ United States Patent Office 3,212,205 ANIMATION DEVICE Ronald D. Alleman, 561st Eng. Co. (PC), Fort Baker, Calif.

Original application Feb. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 171,321, now Patent No. 3,144,726. Divided and this application June 9, 1964, Ser. No. 382,679

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-78) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) This is a division of application Serial No. 171,321, filed February 5, 1962, now Patent No. 3,144,726.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to a mechanism for producing an illusion of motion from a succession or series of picture-bearing cards, film or the like, by manipulation thereof in such a manner that successive cards or film of a series thereof may be removed from one portion of a stack or supply thereof and deposited at another position within such stack or supply in a manner so that, after viewing, each card will come to assume its original serial position as the stack or supply thereof becomes exhausted by such manipulative operations. These operations can be carried out at such speed that there appears to the eye of a viewer an illusion of continuous or uninterrupted motion between the pictures or images on successive cards or at a slower speed enabling reading 'or close viewing of individual cards. Viewing of the individual cards successively is accomplished as each is held stationary momentarily at one point in the above cycle.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of the above-indicated character which is useful as a training aid in connection with military training, but which is also adaptable to a wide diversity of applications.

A second object of this invention is to provide for an inexpensive viewer of opaque film frames, which is manually operated, and compact and simple in construction and operation, which is readily adapted to motor driven operation and a multitude of uses involving the manipulation of various types of intelligence bearing or intelligence receptive sheets.

The structural features of an embodiment of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section of the embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of the construction of FIG. 2, and showing operation of the card-manipulating means;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a different operating position of the parts including the cardmanipulating means.

It will be understood that the term cards as used throughout the present description is intended to include in addition to flexible opaque image bearing cards, transparent and translucent image bearing photographic film which is to be manipulated in like manner to opaque cards in the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawmgs.

FIGS. 1-6 show an embodiment of this invention which contains .a single chamber cylinder encased magazine for use with opaque motion picture cards. The embodiment comprises an external case within which is mounted cylinder 123 on axle 122 turned by crank 121. Within the cylinder 123 is magazine 126 loaded with rectangular shaped opaque motion picture cards 127. Attached to the interior of external case 120 are tabs which, starting at one point of the circular motion of the cylinder, project through the wall of the cylinder through slots 124 to make contact with the uppermost picture card 127 in magazine 126. As tab 125 makes contact with the uppermost picture, the picture card itself is withdrawn from the magazine 126 and the magazine continues to rotate While the picture card remains stationary. In this position the picture card 127 can be seen through the viewing aperture 129 as the cylinder rotates in a 180 are.

FIG. 3 shows tabs 125 making initial contact with the uppermost picture card. FIG. 2 shows the picture card 127 remaining in position as the cylinder and magazine continue to rotate. FIG. 6 shows the picture card as it begins the re-entry process into the magazine. This reentry is assisted by inwardly directed projection 130 which forces the card to assume a position in parallel with the other cards in the magazine. It will be noted that there is a channel 128 between the inner surface of the sleeve which comprises the outer circumference of the cylinder and the filling material 131 surrounding the magazine on one side only. This channel 128 enables the card 127 to remain stationary at the viewing aperture 129 only for a turn of the cylinder, as the channel does not extend beyond the point of re-entry into the magazine. After the first picture card completes its cycle the cylinder will turn to another 180 before tabs 125 again cause the uppermost picture to be removed from the magazine. As the cylinder is turned rapidly the cards replacing one another in the viewing aperture will create the illusion of movement.

I claim:

1. A device for viewing in succession a series of indiciabearing cards, said device comprising:

a. a rotatable cylinder, said cylinder being transparent throughout a portion of its circumference;

b. a frame encasing and mounting said cylinder, said frame having a viewing area through which said cylinder can be seen;

c. a card-holding magazine encased within said cylinder and rotatable therewith, said magazine having a card entry portal and a card exit portal, a portion of the outer side of said magazine being spaced from the inner side of said cylinder along the distance from the exit portal to the entry portal to permit passage of an indicia-bearing card from the exit to entry portal;

d. means for rotating said cylinder and magazine;

e. card withdrawal and holding means comprising an internally projecting card contact tab fastened to said frame and extending through a slot in said cylinder Patented Oct. 19, 1965 for contacting said card at said exit portal as the magazine rotates under the tab, said tab holding the outermost card in the magazine in a stationary viewing position until the card entry portal of the rotating magazine becomes aligned with said stationary card; and f. card deposit means comprising a card guide positioned on said cylinder over the entry portal to force the tab-held card into the rotating magazine entry portal as the portal becomes aligned with the card. 2. The viewing device of claim 1, wherein said cylinder is transparent throughout the area from the exit portal of References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 981,167 1/11 Chick 4080 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Exwminer.

JEROME SCHNALL, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR VIEWING IN SUCCESSION A SERIES OF INDICIABEARING CARDS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: A. A ROTATABLE CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDER BEING TRANSPARENT THROUGHOUT A PORTION OF ITS CIRCUMFERENCE; B. A FRAME ENCASING AND MOUNTING SAID CYLINDER, SAID FRAME HAVING A VIEWING AREA THROUGH WHICH SAID CYLINDER CAN BE SEEN; C. A CARD-HOLDING MAGAZINE ENCASED WITHIN SAID CYLINDER AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, SAID MAGAZINE HAVING A CARD ENTRY PORTAL AND A CARD EXIT PORTAL, A PORTION OF THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID MAGAZINE BEING SPACED FROM THE INNER SIDE OF SAID CYLINDER ALONG THE DISTANCE FROM THE EXIT PORTAL TO THE ENTRY PORTAL TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF AN INDICIA-BEARING CARD FROM THE EXIT TO ENTRY PORTAL; D. MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CYLINDER AND MAGAZINE; E. CARD WITHDRAWAL AND HOLDING MEANS COMPRISING AN INTERNALLY PROJECTING CARD CONTACT TAB FASTENED TO SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING THROUGH A SLOT IN SAID CYLINDER FOR CONTACTING SAID CARD AT SAID EXIT PORTAL AS THE MAGAZINE ROTATES UNDER THE TAB, SAID TAB HOLDING THE OUTERMOST CARD IN THE MAGAZINE IN A STATIONARY VIEWINF POSITION UNTIL THE CARD ENTRY PORTAL OF THE ROTATING MAGAZINE BECOMES ALIGNED WITH SAID STATIONARY CARD; AND F. CARD DEPOSIT MEANS COMPRISING A CARD GUIDE POSITIONED ON SAID CYLINDER OVER THE ENTGRY PORTAL TO FORCE THE TAB-HELD CARD INTO THE ROTATING MAGAZINE ENTRY PORTAL AS THE PORTAL BECOMES ALIGNED WITH THE CARD. 